Are you familiar with the look of awe and unbelief that can be found on the face of a child when he or she receives a gift they’ve been dreaming of for years?  They stand in awe gawking at the gift in amazement!  It’s a precious sight and one that I hope to see on my boys faces every Christmas morning.  What would Christmas day be like however, if they never opened their gift?   What if they never took the toy out of the box and played with it?  What a disappointment that would be!

The word “gawk” means to stare stupidly.  To look at something in a foolish way without thinking.  In Acts Chapter 1 we find the Disciples doing just that as they witness the work of Jesus.  He’s just given them His last will and testament.  Each of them are to receive something more valuable than gold or silver.  They’re going to be given the gift of the Holy Spirit.  And with that gift, they are given instructions.  Instructions that include words like “Go”, “Be”, “Disciple” and “Witness”.  They were all verbs…  Action words!  The gift given requires a response!  They aren’t asked to stare in amazement at the gift, they are required to take it out and play with it!

I’ve found that the church today responds to the gift of the Holy Spirit in three different ways…  They either gawk at it, they give to it or they go with it.  The Disciple’s response to their instructions, and Jesus’ miraculous ascent into heaven, is recorded in Acts 1:10-11.

‘As they watched, he was taken up and disappeared in a cloud. They stood there, staring into the empty sky. Suddenly two men appeared—in white robes! They said, “You Galileans!—why do you just stand here looking up at an empty sky? This very Jesus who was taken up from among you to heaven will come as certainly—and mysteriously—as he left.” ‘ Acts 1:9-11  MSG

In essence, the two men clothed in white were saying to the Disciples,

“Stop Gawking at what God did, and
start doing what God said.”

At some point in our lives, we all come to a place where we have to stop gawking at what God has done and start doing what God has said.  It’s amazing that in over 20 years of ministry I’ve noticed most Christians spend the majority of their time gawking at the work of God instead of engaging in it.  They listen to the latest christian music, read the most relevant christian books and attend the coolest ministry experiences in their city.  These are all good things, but God has called us to be more than gawkers.

I’m proud to say that after a little over a year as a church, we at ConvergenceSD are more than gawkers, we’re both goers and givers.  We give away over 20% of every gift that comes into the church.  We’re committed to going and starting new ministries like Ethne Church, COAH and Feeding The Flock.  We’ve sent missionaries to the Ukraine, the Middle East and to Hurricane Relief projects in the south.  We’ve gone and given to the San Carlos area by gathering backpacks for local schools, sleeping bags for the homeless and lended a helping hand to the Rec Center outreach programs.  This is impressive for a church as young as we are.  I’d like to take a moment and praise God for the faithful people of ConvergenceSD!  You guys rock!

What about you?  Are you a gawker, a goer or a giver?   Don’t just stand their gawking at the gift God has given us.  Open it up and play with it a little!